Wood-bending device



c. DUFF. WOOD BENDING DEVICE.

APPLI CATION FILED AUG. 16, I921- Patented June 27, 1922.

2 WM MW 3 AfTEiNEY near.

WOOD-BENDING DEVICE.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Crane Drum, a citizen of Canada, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in lVood-Bending Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to an improvement in wood bending devices and more par ticularly to an improvement in that class of wood bending devices for bending rods of wood into umbrella handles, cane handles or the like.

In the usual construction of wood cane or umbrella handles from a wooden rod, the rod is softened by the use of steam or water and the rod forced into a metal shaping block having the shape of the handle to be formed. There is nothing in these shaping blocks-to prevent the rod from cracking or spliting, consequently there is a large percentage of waste from imperfect handles. After the handle is formed in the shaping block it must be left in the shaping block until dry and as the shaping block has been heretofore constructed, it takes commercially too long a time for the handle to dry.

The object of my invention is to provide a wood bending device for forming cane or umbrella handles of wood, in which all of the above mentioned undesirable features are eliminated and which will produce more perfect cane or umbrella handles, than has heretofore been done.

My invention consists in the peculiar and novel construction of a wood bending de vice for forming cane and umbrella handles and the like from wood, said wood bending device having details of construction, as will be more fully set forth hereinafter and claimed.

Figure 1 is a top view of my improved wood bending device.

Figure 2 is an end view of the wood bending device.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 with the upper half removed and looking at the interior of the lower half of the device.

Figure 4: is a perspective view of the flexible follower in the position it would assume when the handle is bent.

Figure 5 is a perspective View of the flexible follower in its normal straight position, and

Figure 6 is a side view of a bent wood handle removed from the device.

Specification of Letters Patent. :Pdltgntgd J 27 192% Application filed. August 16, 1921. 7

Serial No. 492,677.

My improved wood bending device consists principally of a two part metal shaping block'and a flexible follower.

In the drawing 7 indicates the lower member, S the upper member of the shaping block and 9 t e flexible follower.

The lower member 7 and upper. member 8 are practically the same, each having upper and lower air holes 10, 10, inner radial corrugations 11, 11 and a groove 12 which when the members are together forms a guide bore 13 the entrance portion 1 1 of which is straight and which merges into a curved portion 15. The air holes 10, 10 extend into the entrance portion 1 1 and the corrugations 11, 11 extend from an opening 16 into the curved portion 15, as shown in Figure 3. The guide bore 13 is practically semi-circular in cross section and has a flat outer side 17, as shown in Figure 2. The lower and upper members of the shaping block are detachably secured together by a bolt 18 and a thumb nut 19, as shown in Figure 2.

The flexible follower 9 is in the form of a thin flexible strip of metal 20, normally straight, and secured at one end to a metal plug 21 by inserting the end of the strip into an angular slit 22 in the side of the plug 21 and then bending the strip lengthwise around the plug, thereby securing the strip to the plug, as shown inFigure 5.

In forming a handle the base of the plug 21 is placed over the end of a softened wooden rod, not shown, with the thin metal strip 20 lying lengthwise of the rod. The wooden rod with the flexible follower 9 is now forced, plug end first, into the guide bore 13 with the metal strip 20 engaging with the flat side 17 of the bore 13. As the wooden rod is forced into the bore 13 the metal strip 20 of the follower 9, follows around with the rod and prevents the rod from buckling, spliting or cracking. After the rod has been forced into the device to form a handle, the device is then subjected to steam heat which entering through the air holes 10, 10, opening 16 and corrugations 11, 11 quickly dries the handle, which is then removed by loosening the bolt 18.

From the foregoing it is seen that my invention lies in the flexible follower and the means for quickly drying the handle, after the handle is formed in the device.

It is evident that the construction of the flexible follower 9, the shape of the bore 13, and other details could be varied within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new 2- 1. In a wood bending device, a body member having a work distorting bore for bending wood, an auxiliary flexible follower adapted to be inserted with the wood into said work distorting bore, and to move with the wood into the work distorting bore for the purpose as described.

2. In a wood bending device having a bore an auxiliary flexible follower adapted to be inserted with the wood into the bore, for the purpose as described and means for holding the flexible follower onto the wood, while the wood is being bent into a cane handle or the like, said means consisting of a plug on the end of the follower adapted to engage with the end of the wood.

3. A wood bending device comprising two similar members which when together form a wood shaping block having a bore with a straight portion merging into a curved portion, said members having internal corrugations at the curved portion of the bore and communicating with an opening, for the purpose as described. 7

4, A wood bending device comprising two similar members which when together form a wood shaping block having a bore with a straight portion merging into a curved portion,said members having internal corrugations at the curved portion of the bore and communicating with an opening and said straight portion of the bore having holes, for the purpose as described.

5. A wood bending device comprising two similar members which when together form a wood shaping block having a bore with a straight portion merging into a curved portion, said members having internal corrugations at the curved portion of the bore and communicating with an opening, said straight portion of the bore having holes and means for detachably securing the members together, for the purpose as described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed. my name to this specification.

CYRIL DUFF. 

